Brains,Maps and the New Territory of Psychology

Abstract

The past decade has seen growing interest in the use of functional brain imaging methods in research. The range of conditions and behaviours studied using these methods has also been expanding. These developments have changed the profile of subfields in both psychology and neuroscience. While these events have been critiqued as reductionist moves, I argue that they can better be characterized as productive processes. Such a characterization makes visible the expansion and reorganization of the object of study and of domains of investigation; it highlights new relations with other disciplines and institutions, and it problematizes the subsequent increased social visibility. A reflexive approach to mapping practices is proposed to help functional imaging research address issues of methodological isolation and accountability.